The Blue Jackets did what they had to do against a fragile Los Angeles Kings team: start fast, get an early goal and get their forecheck going. Check, check, and check. They bent but didn’t break in the second period, but the Kings finally broke through early in the third period.
After dodging several bullets and killing off a bevy of a penalties, the Blue Jackets couldn’t escape a 4-on-4 situation in the third period and Kings center Anze Kopitar made a play that changed the course of the game. He got just enough room on the wall to slide a pass across the offensive zone to Jake Muzzin, who pinched in on the play and got a stick on the pass, re-directing it through Sergei Bobrovsky’s pads and into the net to tie the game.
Columbus had its chances in the third period, too; unfortunately, the Blue Jackets let the Kings hang around just a little too long in Los Angeles’ final game before the Olympic break.
They got another inch in overtime, as Robyn Regehr pinched down the left wall and fired a slap shot through traffic that Bobrovsky never saw – ending the game with a win for the Kings (their second in 11 games) and leaving the Jackets with a single point.
Still, it’s three points out of four possible so far on this three-game California swing with a big opportunity Friday night in San Jose.
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